The study surveyed clinicians in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington, where medical marijuana is legal. Of 301 respondents, 92 percent favored helping pediatric cancer patients obtain medical marijuana. A majority - 88 percent - said using the drug near the end of life was appropriate, but only 34 percent would favor its use in early stage cancer treatment.
A marijuana-derived synthetic drug, dronabinol (Marinol) is routinely used in supportive cancer care to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting and to stimulate appetite. Patients anecdotally say medical marijuana, whether smoked or taken as an oil, is helpful for these problems, but its effectiveness hasn't been compared to dronabinol or other drugs taken to combat nausea, say the authors.
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Ananth and Wolfe say they plan to conduct a second survey seeking opinions from adolescent and young adult patients and their parents about medical marijuana use.
Pediatric cancer: Many parents of children with cancer unaware of potential for long-term health problems, study finds
Abstract 10522: Katie Greenzang, MD, EdM - Presenter
Poster Board: #213
Discussed at the Poster Discussion Session on Monday, June 6, 2016, 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., at S504
Today, the vast majority of children with cancer go on to become long-term survivors of the disease, but many survivors experience physical or cognitive impairments later on. A new survey to be presented at the ASCO annual meeting finds that most parents of survivors at high risk for such difficulties want detailed information about life after cancer but don't recognize the likelihood that their child will develop these problems. Investigators at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center surveyed 352 parents of children with cancer to assess how well they understood their children's risk of future limitations in physical abilities, intelligence, and quality of life. Among children identified by physicians as being at high risk for such challenges, 38 percent of parents recognized this risk in physical abilities, 21 percent in intelligence, and 5 percent in quality of life. The results indicate a need for better communication between doctors and parents about the risk of future health problems in survivors of childhood cancer, the investigators, led by Katie Greenzang, MD, pediatric oncologist, and Jennifer Mack, MD, MPH, pediatric oncologist and associate chief, Population Sciences for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, both of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's, conclude.
